Fatwood

kevshin21, the fat wood stumps I am using are grey in color on the outside, almost red (like previous pics above) on the inside.

It is not sticky, it is greasy or oily and potent, giving off a black smoke when burning.

The wood you found is probably cedar. They look similar in color on the outside when old, but are much lighter and are very dry. And I have never seen bug holes in any of the stumps I have seen.

The simplest way to identify your fat wood stump is to scratch the grey bark off as deep as you can and smell of it, you will know if it's fat wood by the strong smell.......almost a strong pine smell, but stronger.

Then if you have a lighter, you will know for sure. :D

Nightdog, "oily" is the key word here, I would bet your trees are the exact same thing we are talking about, sounds very interesting.



Robbie Roberson
 
upnorth said:
I bought some commercial stuff from a RONA store (Starter Stikk). About half of it is nothing special. The rest gets progressively better. The final one eighth of the box after culling, is intensely saturated. The saturated stuff is so dense that some of it is heavy and almost translucent in certain light. The box says that its from yellow pine stumps. Considering how much really good fatwood I got out of this 5 lb. box, for $10-11, Im more than satisfied. I sent some to Normark for his opinion, as I have no prior experience with the stuff. However, anyone can tell when you have a dense and heavy chunk in your hand. The wood smells great, until I slice it, then it stinks of turpentine. I shaved some off and lit it with mag bar shavings. The stuff went up like fireworks with a hissing sound.
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You can tell it's good stuff when it has that mellow translucence when cut thin. And when it burns, big flames and plenty of black smoke.

WalMart sells fatwood. The little that I have played with is not spectacular, but will work in a pinch.
 
Robbie Roberson said:
Nightdog, "oily" is the key word here, I would bet your trees are the exact same thing we are talking about, sounds very interesting.



Robbie Roberson
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Yes, I think so too. Or at least quite similar stuff. Great stuff anyways. And the smell.. it's the best part about it, right after the tinder qualities :)
 
Found what I thought was some fatwood today...a dark red/brown oily clay like substance in the center of a small stump. It didn't have a smell to it, but I sawed some off (bad idea, clogged up my SAK saw, should have used the blade)and brought it back home.

I held it under a flame for about a minute...I got a glow, but no flame:confused:

I thought I had found a bunch of fatwood, guess not:thumbdn:
 
Don't know what that was, sure not fatwood.

Fatwood also sizzles as it burns.

Just scan the woods for "silvery grey" colors on the ground, then zero in and see if it's a stump, then take a slice and smell........you'll know, it's really exciting when you find one.

If properly cut and proccessed, you could have enough potent fire starting tinder to last for many years.



Robbie Roberson ;)
 
It may be that it was waterlogged...the stump itself was just a few feet from a stream, and we've had a snowstorm and rain recently, so everything was either covered in snow, or just soaked.

I've got a few peices on my table drying out. I've give it another try in a few days:thumbup:
 
I don't think fatwood gets water logged. The fatwood I have seen and used is not affected by water at all, in fact it repells water like a ducks back.

The best way I can describe all I have used and found is a very waxy or oily wood, water does not seem to penetrate the wood.

I have fatwood laying out in the rain and it will light and burn instantly when you light it.

Not sure what you have, but I'm pretty certain it's not fatwood........sorry.



Robbie Roberson ;)
 
Just picked some up at a local Meijer on clearance. Magic Igniter fatwood from Canada. It is about two pounds, and much of the wood looks tiger striped. It has a really strong odor, like the pine disinfectant used in outdoor potty pits at parks. Some of it is almost black, and slightly crystalized. Will try some tomorrow, but I am pretty certain it is fatwood, just not all the same 'grade'.
 
Normark said:
Hey Guys...


The Best fatwood in my opinion is from here..

www.fatwood.com

This fatwood is out of Honduras, and is 80% resin...

The best "bought" fatwood you can get...

IMHO...

ttyle

Eric
O/ST
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This is true, Sometimes known as Maya Wood. I got some along with some Swedish Firesteels and it is way beyond Southern Longleaf Pine.

Got a couple of bags of Maya Sticks a few years ago (can't remember where, sorry), and I'm still on the first bag. Bags were 8-10oz.

Rob
 
FLIX said:
Longbow,

I'm not sure a lightning strike necessarily produces fatwood. Lightning struck trees die in a hurry and the roots are toast as well. All of the moisture is blasted out, so it makes great firewood. I have used lightning struck wood as firewood and it is great for that purpose.

Fatwood usually is created when a tree is cut/broken off, leaving a stump. the roots continue to pump sap into the stump, not knowing it is dead. The result is a stump that is supersaturated in sap.

That being said, I haven't tried to use lightning strike shavings as tinder, so if you have specific experience doing so, I'll concede. :cool:

--FLIX
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Lightning struck trees are ideal.

The roots are not pumping sap UP, sap is created by the tree. Roots pump water and nutrients up.

Sap is like blood and after a quick death like lightning, the sap settles to the lowest point, the base, like lividity in a human body.

That's why logged over stumps cut at ground level have so little fatwood, or rather rich fatwood. No resin/sap to drain into them.

Rob
 
I tried some of the fatwood I bought...couldn't get it to light. The wood has resin in it, but you can still see the wood grain. Looked through the pack and found a piece that when cut looks like a gemstone. There is so much resin there is no longer any grain showing. Used my SAK saw to make a small pile of sawdust. Took it outside, and in two strikes of the steel I had flames. Great stuff! But truely all that is called fatwood is not the same! Since I got this cheap it was worth it, but I'll have to go through the pack and see how much is really usable.


Chuck
 
SkunkWerx,

There is fatwood in Maryland. The pine forest of my youth in Hanover had a good bit of it. That's why when someone said you kick a stump apart and the punk goes flying and what's left is fatwood...light bulb!

The soil in that part of Hanover was part sandy in spots and then other places, sand over clay - real bizarre dirt. I've heard some people from the Carolinas talk about some of the pine forest down there being the same way.
 
I have mentioned I have found lots of fatwood stumps all around my house, actually within a few hundred yards in any direction, all on my property.

I am thinking about cutting all the stumps off flush with the ground and bringing them to my house to sit upright and more or less "store" them near my home.

Since I have a wood stove and use it all winter, this would help me to always have easy access to fire starters any time I need them.

Do you see any reason I should not cut these stumps off flush, and bring them closer to me ?

From what I have learned, these stumps seem to last for maybe hundreds of years. I just did not know if it made a difference though if I cut them. Do you think it would have any effect on the resin and the storage of this stuff in the stump ?

Thanks.

Robbie Roberson.;)
 
Hey Robbie....

Yaa Keep them close by..
I'm coming that way in november..
I'll stop by and liberate some from you..:)

The only problem I can see about keeping it close by is,, if some eager Beaver decides to Stoke the fire for ya,, using that wood,, it could be a Very interesting turbo charged fire in ye ole woodstove!!!

Hope all is well my friend..

ttyle

Eric
O/ST
 
Hey my northern pal, :D yes you may be right.

Good thinking.

I'll just hide them under the house..........:o

No really, I can stash them in a certain place in the woods, I just hope the potency of them don't wear off.

The bad thing is, there is not much precedence here when it comes to "Fatwood stump" storage..........:D

Robbie Roberson ;)
 
Robbie, I also have a bunch of stumps around my place here in South Florida. Funny I never new it ubtil I read the first thread about it here and I walked out into the yard and I didn' have to go 30 feet of teh lawn and I found the first one.(Man I Thought that was the coolest thing ever)

Anyway I cut one of at the ground and split it up abd brought it in to the garage. One thing I noticed on mine was the insects were definatley eating away at it and I had to chop a bunch of punky portions out of the stump. Some with live insects still nesting.

In my neck of the woods I don't know if these stumps will last all that long in place. I think I will consider harvesting them and keep them inside.

That said I do wonder if they wil loose any of there potency.
 
Anyone know if fatwood would be around central Kentucky? It will be a while before I can get to the woods to hunt around and see for myself. If there's none, I'd like to go ahead and get some ordered.
 
SpookyPistolero said:
Anyone know if fatwood would be around central Kentucky? It will be a while before I can get to the woods to hunt around and see for myself. If there's none, I'd like to go ahead and get some ordered.
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Fatwood can be found anywhere pine trees can be found. You just have to find one that died under the right conditions.
 
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